It is commonplace for owners of camping trailers or motor homes for recreational use to attach their camping vehicles to a fresh water supply, if available, at a selected campsite. The typical camping trailer or motor home is equipped with internal plumbing connections to provide fresh water to sink fixtures, showers, hot water heaters, and other water outlets. The external connection for fresh water is typically a female hose connection of the threaded type such as is used on garden hoses. This type of fitting is provided because the common campsite hookup for fresh water is connected by a garden hose of well known variety.
When a garden hose is connected to the female water inlet coupling on the camping trailer or motor home, it is inevitable that pockets of air remain in the hose and in the internal plumbing of the camping trailer or motor home. Stale water may also remain in the supply hose. The air is forced out of the system when water pressure is provided through the garden hose but the harsh sputtering of faucets must be tolerated until the air in the system is purged. The throbbing of pipes caused by the purging air causes vibrations in the plumbing which may tend to dislodge the plumbing components from their mountings or to damage joints along the plumbing system. The camper owner typically tolerates the noise and throbbing and leaves a faucet open when the water pressure at the source begins to be applied to the system connected by the garden hose.
Because the typical camping vehicle external fresh water connection exits the camping vehicle in a horizontal configuration, the attachment of the connection to a garden hose aggravates strain on the hose due to the light bends which are required as the hose is routed to lie on the ground.
After the camping owner has finished his or her stay at a campsite, the fresh water connection between the camping trailer or motor home internal plumbing system must be removed from the water source. Though the water source may be closed by the usual valve at a hydrant, water pressure remains in the camping trailer or motor home plumbing system. Hence, when the hose connection to the camping trailer or motor home is loosened and removed, water under pressure escapes from the loosened coupling, thereby spraying the surrounding area along with the person removing the hose.